


A Competition

by CB (maidamedia), MSL (maidamedia)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 01:07:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20498360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maidamedia/pseuds/CB, https://archiveofourown.org/users/maidamedia/pseuds/MSL
Summary: Julian is having trouble with his relationships with women, so he goes to the expert, Garak, to learn what he's doing wrong.  A First Time Story.





	A Competition

For Garak, it had seemed that the day would never end. Some days were busy, but satisfying. Favorite fashions flew out the door. Arguments might erupt over a single design that both customers wanted and Garak would be forced to save the garment before they'd ripped it in half, benefitting no one. But today two customers had complained over how long alterations were taking on dresses they wanted yesterday. Another had practically had a tantrum over a shipment of pants that had been canceled from a favorite source that had just gone out of business. As if Garak could do anything about the bad management practices of an independent company. In the end, he'd had to give such a deep discount on a better brand of pants that he'd almost wiped out his entire profit on the piece. And just before closing up, a very good customer had come in in a panic needing an adjustment to a bodice before the party she was hostessing started. In an hour.

But those were the problems you ran into when you were your own boss. And as long as he could walk down the mall and see designs of his own creation among the strollers, he'd still call the balance positive. Even if some irate customer threw a shoe in his direction, it certainly beat the bomb that little Ferengi on Massun had tossed. It had been weeks before he wouldn't smell the explosive and remember the sound when he walked past the spot. If Garak hadn't gotten out of the room and slammed the door behind him, he might well have been the one they were picking up in pieces off the floor instead of the Ferengi. Give him an irate customer any day of the week. His backside might be a trifle singed when their tantrum was finished, but at least, come the next workday morning, it would still be there to get singed again.

Garak sipped his drink and put it back down on the table, shoving the previous empty aside and positioning his glass more comfortably as he watched the pantomime going on across the barroom. A smile spread across his face. This was the fourth - no, fifth - time this month that he'd watched Julian in an argument with one of his ever-changing lovelies. It seemed the man couldn't keep a relationship going long enough to have the word even apply to his procession of dates.

She was a handsome brunette wearing a skin-tight cocktail dress that had never graced his racks. She had the shape for it, but the style showed off her breasts instead of the fine hourglass shape that seemed to be becoming popular again among those with professions that didn't require athletic development - like Star Fleet, or Quark's waitresses, Garak mused, as he watched a shapely server pass between himself and the imaginary stage on which the drama was developing. If he had had the responsibility of dressing Julian's friend, he would have emphasized the small waist. Perhaps a hint of archaic corset with an overlay of multi-toned slits in a bell-shaped skirt. Julian always did have good taste in the appearance of his ladies. It was a shame that his taste didn't run to brains as well as breasts.

A goal on the TV over the bar caused a shout-out from the crowd in the room, and it must have drowned out what Julian was trying to say because the man looked increasingly annoyed, the muscles in his neck indicating that he was shouting to be heard over the spectators. As fate would have it, the room noise made its periodic dip allowing Julian's voice to ring out clearly through the room. "You weren't exactly inspirational in bed either." The horror of the moment showed clearly on both faces - Julian's and the girl's - as they glanced around at the now silent assemblage. Lula, a receptionist in a Bajoran law office, if Garak remembered correctly, turned beet red, slapped Julian resoundingly - which engendered a wild cheer from the room - and ran through the crowd for the main exit.

Julian, almost as red, managed to maintain his savoir faire, bowing slightly to the crowd, looked around and, seeing Garak, made his way over to Garak's table. A slight motion from Garak and the waiter was on his way to get a drink for the doctor. Julian slid in opposite Garak, then picked up and swallowed the blue liquid in Garak's glass. A coughing fit confirmed that Julian had misidentified the beverage. Well, Garak hadn't really expected to be sharing that evening. Penswallen Ale was an acquired taste.

With a motion that showed years of expertly dealing with uncoordinated patrons, the waiter switched the empty glass that was in danger of being knocked over by a flailing elbow with a large glass filled with a pale amber liquor that meant Garak's budget for the month was going to be severely taxed and that he'd better get Julian out of the bar before the man's nose landed on the table. Before Garak could move the new glass away, though, Julian's hand had found it and, grasping it tightly, chug-a-lugged between coughing spasms. Sighing, Garak indicated to the waiter to have Quark charge it to his account, a second sigh acknowledging that there was going to be a large tip added. He'd had that server before. No use complaining to Quark. He got forty percent of all tips.

"Up we go," Garak said encouragingly, as he hefted Julian to his feet, the man already beginning to sway. A quick glance showed the optimal path to the door and, elbows clearing a way, Garak manhandled his companion out the door and into the somewhat cooler air of the upper level walkway of the Promenade, leaning him on the balustrade while Garak caught his breath. He really needed to work out more. Julian really wasn't all that heavy.

The red was receding from Julian's face, but his eyes were just beginning to glaze as the potent Mother's Comfort spread throughout his system. The reason it probably cost so much was that customers were rarely able to order more than one, Garak thought as he slid a shoulder under Julian's arm.

Looking around with a trace of confusion, Julian asked, "How did we get out here?" With an edge of panic, he added, "And where's Lula? We're supposed to have a date tonight. I'm gonna be late."

Grabbing Julian's tunic before he could take a nosedive over the railing, Garak turned his friend and started him moving toward the turbolift, his voice reassuringly calm and cheering. "She couldn't make it. It's just you and me. What say we finish off this evening at your place. Some good music, conversation..."

Julian giggled. "You're still trying to get me into bed, Garak. But it won't work. We are incont...intot..." Looking frustrated, Julian finished with, "incontinent." Then looked confused as he heard what he'd said. Laughing, Garak shoved him into the lift and pronounced Julian's floor. "I think you mean incompatible," Garak said as Julian settled himself comfortably against the wall. "But that's an argument for another night."

It was the work of a few minutes to get Julian, increasingly boneless, through the door and collapsed onto the sofa. Sighing again, something which Garak noticed he was doing more often these days, Garak struggled with Julian's shoes, then pulled his pants off and, lifting the man off the sofa, shoved him toward the bathroom door. "Stay awake long enough in there and I'll wait here to make sure you get to bed." A slight wave and Julian's quick rush toward the toilet said that Garak's caution had been prescient. At the sound of retching, Garak moved back into the living room and collapsed on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"Baraclev." A familiar symphonic piece began to play softly, as the headache that Garak hadn't even noticed made itself more obvious, then gradually receded as Garak relaxed. For some reason, he found Julian's quarters to be extremely comfortable. With a mental note he'd made before, Garak told himself he'd have to look into getting a similar couch for his own quarters and burrowed deeper into the pillows.

He must have fallen asleep, because Garak awoke to find Julian standing before the sofa, a wide smile on his face. "I suppose that's one way to make sure you aren't late for our breakfast date." A shadow passed over Julian's face. "Were we supposed to have breakfast this morning?" The confusion deepened. "Wait. I had a date with Lula last night. We were going to sleep in." As the redness rose in Julian's face, memories were obviously returning. "Oh."

Stretching a sore back, Garak turned away to give the doctor a little privacy to straighten out the sequence of events in his mind. A few drops from the waist to stretch muscles and Garak stood erect, the ache somewhat relieved. At a slight buzzing, he turned to find Julian checking a medical tricoder that was never far away. Well, that was as good a way as any to change the embarrassing subject. "In good health, I presume, Doctor?"

Julian put the device back on his desk. "You could lose a little weight, but you know that. We still have time to beat the rush if we get going. I'll just check for messages while you..." Julian said, indicating the bathroom . Garak smiled his approval of the plan and headed in the suggested direction.

It was amazing how much they were beginning to be like an old married couple, Garak thought, as he exited the small room. Now if he could just add in some of the more interesting aspects of a longer term relationship. He hoped Julian wouldn't notice that he'd borrowed his toothbrush. And he must remember to run up to his quarters to shower after they had breakfast. For the chance to spend some time with the good doctor, he'd gladly sacrifice having to be a bit too close to his own unpleasant body odor that had come from sleeping in his clothes. So much for the advertisement of the cloth from which he'd made the suit. Yes, it absorbed moisture. No, it didn't magically make perspiration disappear. He sighed. Perhaps another manufacturer.

************

"I knew that color would be perfect for you," Garak said complacently, holding the soft fabric in front of the young woman, as they both examined the blue/green silk against her pale hair in the store mirror. There was a sweetness to the image that could, in fact, make almost any outfit look good.

"You don't think it makes me look too pale?"

"The yellow dress drew the eye to the dress instead of to you. This brings out the blue of your eyes and makes them look larger."

A smile over her shoulder told Garak he had probably made the sale, and he looked forward to a very profitable end to a busy day. Besides, it was good advertising to see a pretty young thing wearing one of his original designs. He whisked away the fabric over her shoulder and turned to put it with the notes he'd taken of her measurements and the extra sleeve material he'd suggested for a cape-like effect.

"What a beautiful dress. I'd definitely get it." Julian was grinning as he approached and Garak surreptiously checked the time. Fifteen minutes early. At least he wasn't the one running late for dinner. Looking at the appreciative smile on Julian's face as he looked the young blonde up and down, Garak amended his thought. Assuming that they were still on for dinner tonight and that Julian hadn't just found himself a more agreeable dinner partner.

"Oh, I'm not buying this one. This is mine." She smoothed down the undistinguished shirtwaist dress, a boring mixture of shades of green. Probably from Fenton's Fancies down the way. The man bought his stock in volume. It showed. Trust the wearer of one, and only one, outfit to not recognize that Garak wouldn't have been caught dead having that dress hang on his hooks.

The shy confusion of the young woman, along with her soft, even features, would be be irresistible to the doctor, Garak realized, and began to think whether he should choose one of the smaller restaurants that were quiet enough in which to read and have a solitary meal, or just go home and get something from the replicator.

"I'm Julian Bashir. Chief medical officer for the station. And you are?"

The slight blush made the girl's smile even more attractive, though it was a shame that the growing red went so poorly with the dress, Garak thought. "Mantay Livtor. My father and I have only been here a few weeks. He's been assigned to the engineering department. I'm just helping him settle in before I go back to school."

"And somehow we've missed meeting. I'm down in engineering several times a day. Maybe I've met your father."

At least she wasn't staying permanently. Temporary Garak could deal with. While Julian brought his not inconsiderable charm to bear, Garak began to put things away for the day. Home and the replicator he decided. There were still a few chapters left in the Vulcan history that he'd been using to put himself to sleep at night. A stew. And maybe one of the sweet puddings for dessert. He'd developed a surprising taste for the culinary delight. Maybe citrus flavored. His replicator tended to make it with a decided zing. The spicy dish wasn't likely to keep him awake. Especially after a few pages of Stoli's interminable Vulcan prose.

"Oh, there you are, Manti. Sorry to be late."

Garak turned in time to see Julian's unlamented ex-date entering, her arms filled with packages that tilted precariously as Lula came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Julian.

"Lula." Julian's manners recovered first as he hurried over to help her unload and put the boxes down on top of some Menurian sweaters, whose sale had just ended.

Mantay followed quickly and helped organize the pile. "Oh, you found the dried fruit I was telling you about. You're going to love them. Especially the berry one. That's my favorite!" She turned to look at Julian. "You know my cousin! How wonderful. Lula's brother is married to my first cousin, and we were so excited to learn that she was living here when father was reassigned. It can be difficult to make new friends when you move to a new base." She turned back to Lula. "Dr Bashir was just suggesting that we have dinner tonight but I didn't have time to tell him that I was meeting you here. Maybe..."

There wasn't time for Mantay to finish her thought as Lula put a wide smile on her face and picked up the packages, loading Mantay's arms and picking up the rest herself. "I'm sure we can do that some other time. I have reservations at this wonderful new Bajoran eatery and we'll be late if we don't hurry. Come along," she said, as she gave a small shove with her hip to the other girl and nudged her toward the door. "Some other time, Julian," she called over her shoulder, in a not very convincing tone.

The shop was very quiet for a moment as Julian and Garak looked at the now empty doorway, then at each other. That's where they had been planning to eat.

"Quark's," Garak announced.

"Right," agreed Julian.

******************

It might have been Garak's imagination, but it did seem as though there were more sideways looks being given to Julian. If he were a betting man, a habit in which Garak seldom indulged, he'd bet that the Lula grapevine had, indeed, been buzzing. Julian, too, seemed to have noticed the looks as he was off his conversation as well as off his dinner, spending an inordinate amount of time moving food around on his plate. Garak put his fork down with a slight clang. The evening crowd was just building up, so it was hardly heard.

"Logic says that there are three possibilities: you ignore the gossip, you confront it, or you fix whatever is causing it."

Julian looked up with a slight smile. "Still reading the Vulcan history, I see. Never could get past the fourth chapter, myself. The reasoning behind the move of the capitol city..." He shook his head. "Considering that one part of Vulcan looks much the same as every other part, moving the capitol to the home territory of the latest conqueror would seem explanation enough."

Garak's awkwardly raised eyebrow made them both laugh.

"Allow me to restate the problem then, my dear Doctor. Either live with the situation, or fix the problem." He tried the eyebrow again. "Better?" Then reached over to catch Julian's glass before the man's laughter knocked it over.

"Better." Julian took the glass from Garak, sipped, then frowned thoughtfully. "It's not in my character to let problems build up. It's just that I don't quite know how to deal with complaints about my sexual..." He searched for a word. "...proficiency." A number of emotions passed over his face. The last was determination. "I actually don't think there's a problem." Garak's expression must have said something different because Julian leaned across the table, his momentary confidence gone. "What?" he demanded.

"That isn't the first time remarks have been made about you, or gossip spread, Doctor. Because we're friends, people don't talk to me about you, but a clothier is often considered to be deaf and dumb, and there have been comments made in my hearing."

"And?"

"And the prevailing discussion seems to center on technique. Praise for your natural endowments, but concern that you don't make best use of them."

Julian sat back in his chair, mouth slightly agape. "But I've never had trouble getting women into bed."

"Do they always return?" Garak asked gently.

Julian opened his mouth angrily and then his face changed and he closed it. He was silent for a minute. "Why wouldn't someone say something?" he asked, grudgingly accepting that there just might be a problem.

"Perhaps they didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"But I was always ready to try anything. I've never been shy about sex." He shook his head. "This just doesn't make sense."

A Klingon at a nearby table had begun leaning toward them as the pertinent words "sex" and "bed" filtered through the music and conversation. Glancing over to a waiter for their check, Garak got up and motioned to Julian to do likewise. "We can't talk here. Let's take a bottle up to my place." He smiled at the disappointed Klingon.

**************

They'd been settled down in Julian's living room for half an hour with the Romulan ale that Julian had paid extra for from Quark's private stash, but the conversation still hadn't happened. Each would look at the other as if they would begin talking and then the silence would continue. Garak gazed casually around the room. It was interesting how you could start with the same basic architecture, and then the space would gradually become more personalized. That vase, for example, hadn't been there the first time he'd visited Julian's quarters. As he thought about it, the vase really didn't fit the rest of the decor. Ah, a gift from one of the doctor's "friends." It was really amazing how someone of such obvious intelligence and taste himself seemed attracted to the most blatant of women. Garak considered that he really should examine that thought in more detail, then brought himself back to the current problem. Well, Julian's problem wouldn't solve itself the way they were avoiding the discussion. Garak broke the silence.

"There is a way," he said hesitantly. "A holodeck test that I remember from my school days."

This time it was Julian's eyebrow that raised.

"It gives you a raw score on technique. What you do with that information is up to you." A reminiscent smile passed across Garak's face until he coughed lightly and looked at Julian seriously. "And I know just the person who can get me a copy of that test. That is, if you're interested in finding out exactly where the problem might be."

Julian instantly perked up. "By all means, get in touch with your friend. But I warn you, I ace tests!"

**************

Garak wouldn't have been surprised if Julian had worn a disguise to their appointment, the way he kept looking around as they climbed the stairs to the holosuites. Garak had been purposely vague about the details of the test and Julian was acting as if they were visiting a brothel, the way he had kept checking the expressions on the faces of people as they passed through Quark's. Though still dressed in his normal Star Fleet uniform, Garak could see that his friend had just had a haircut, and his teeth were gleaming. It took an effort for Garak to keep the serious look on his own face.

"Nervous?" Garak asked as he keyed the reserved suite.

"Not in the slightest. Looking forward, in fact."

While Garak went over to the control panel and keyed in the program data, Julian paced the area, stopping in midstride as they were suddenly surrounded by a summer evening in a moonlit garden - a scene Garak had stolen from another holodeck scenario. He liked the evening's warmth. As Julian scanned the area, Garak kept a smile off his face. Not a bed to be seen, though there was a softly bubbling fountain in the distance. That should confuse him, Garak thought. A few more keystrokes and a slender brunette in the briefest of bikinis appeared in the middle of the garden. The hairstyle was medium length and curley, similar to one Garak remembered one of Julian's past favorites sporting. The school test had rather crude parameters to set for creating its testers, but whoever had designed the test program did seem to have a flair for female pulchritude.

Immediately Julian came over and the two looked each other over, both smiling happily. Julian glanced at Garak. "I think you're missing an important piece of furniture, Garak." He indicated the surrounding area with a movement of his head. "No bed. And we can probably dispense with your company for now. I'll come down and let you know when we're done. Does the test have a time limit?"

"No time limit. No bed. The test involves you kissing this lovely lady." A few more keystrokes and a deep armchair appeared into which Garak settled, smiling.

"Kissing?"

"Kissing."

Julian, disgruntled, looked over at the comfortably settled Garak. "And you, I assume, are the scorekeeper?"

"Oh, no," Garak replied, smiling openly now. "The young lady keeps her own score. I'm just here to critique."

"And you qualify as an expert because...?" Julian was looking disgusted, but the young lady's hand stroking his arm was softening his embarrassment.

"Let's just say that I passed my own test with flying colors." With a gracious wave of a hand, Garak indicated Julian should get down to it.

Julian did. For the next five minutes, Julian was all over the girl, hands and mouth busy with an occasional glance directed at Garak, who remained seated in his chair, the smile never leaving his lips. He actually wasn't half bad, Garak decided. But he knew "half" wasn't going to please his friend. Firm hold on her back. Variety in the kisses. A little too long and too deep for the tongue games. If she wasn't all ready for the next level of sex games, that wasn't going to get her there. He would have broken that contact and pushed Julian into some other types of fun. But the testers here weren't meant to initiate, only evaluate. And why wasn't Julian using his teeth more? When Julian did finally step back, panting from a lack of air, the man was grinning triumphantly.

"Without you getting up and giving us that chair, I think we've covered the exam subject pretty thoroughly, Professor." Giving his virtual partner a swat on her pert derrier, Julian asked, "So what's my score?"

Garak looked at the girl. "Score, out of 10."

The girl's chest immediately blazed with large numerals. "4.7/10"

Julian goggled as he stared, then vehemently objected, "That was a 9! At least!"

Garak just smiled as he got up and went back over to the control panel. After a few moments of typing, the brunette disappeared, replaced by a buxom blonde, her long straight hair stopping at her waist, the small, tan dress ending not much lower than her rump. Grinning, Garak returned to his chair and pointed to the new girl. "Care to try again?"

A grunt was the only sound out of Julian as he pulled the blonde to him and began to lasciviously kiss her, watching Garak the whole time. Garak stretched out his feet and smiled at his friend, enjoying the game. Same problems. And probably the same cause. He didn't have the right sort of partner who would challenge him to up his game. Keeping a set smile on his face, Garak slid into a most pleasant daydream that involved how he would counter each of Julian's moves. For one thing, the man was taking "kissing" too literally. As long as you weren't pressing for immediate penetration, Garak saw no reason not to enjoy the stimulation of groin to groin clothed contact. He was almost limiting their physical contact to mouth-to-mouth. Too literal, Garak decided. And he didn't even give that long, lovely neck of the blonde's the attention that it deserved. Now if that had been Garak in Julian's arms, Garak would have had his teeth deep into Julian's neck and their activities would have progressed from there. It was well over ten minutes before Julian ran out of breath this time. He pulled away, still looking at Garak in challenge.

The silence between them stretched for almost a minute before Garak called out, "Score, out of 10." Onto the girl's tight top flashed the numbers "3.4/10."

Julian stormed over to Garak and leaned onto the arms of the chair, staring into Garak's face. "Tricks like this are just not your style, Garak." Oh, the temptation to kiss those lips. Julian was in the most perfect mood to give the most passionate responses. Sighing at impossible fantasies, Garak got up from the chair, pushing Julian back.

"The test is real. The score is real. What you're seeing is the reason we're both here. Now will you relax and put a real effort into the next one? And remember, the kiss is between two people, whether or not one of them is a simulacra or not. Make her enjoy it, Julian. Not just endure it."

"She loved it!" Julian insisted to Garak's back as Garak went back to the panel, a statuesque redhead with an emerald green, sheer negligee replacing the blonde. With a few quick tweaks of the program, he made her a trace more aggressive.

As Garak settled back in his chair, Julian took the redhead in his arms. Ignoring Garak now, he began feathering kisses onto the woman's face before getting seriously down to business. Smugly, Garak observed that the increased aggression had the exact reaction that Garak had thought it would have. Julian was a reactor. If the woman kissed him hard, he kissed her back harder. Ahh, she'd nipped him. Now Julian was using his teeth. Just what Garak had hoped for. It was with silent pleasure that he allowed his visions to become a great deal more explicit. Given the chance, what he could teach his friend! This time, when Garak called for the score, Julian got a 6.2/10. Giving the redhead a small farewell kiss, Julian walked over to Garak, who had posed his fingertips together and was smiling at him. "So?"

"You're doing better," Garak acknowledged, getting up and going back to the panel. "Your last test," Garak said as he made a quick command. This was the part of the test he'd spent the most time preparing. He turned with a sleek smile as a Cardassian girl replaced the redhead. She could have been the feminine version of Garak, down to almost the equivalent outfit, except that hers was a tightfitting racketball outfit and she was seductively swinging her racket at Julian. Julian stared at Garak for a moment then burst out laughing. "Fine. I'm perfectly happy to enjoy your surrogate. Savor the moment, Garak. I assure you that I will."

And with that, Julian began lightly kissing the girl, his hands running over the ridges of her face. As Garak and Julian's eyes met, Garak shook his head. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. Well, the more that Julian knew of Cardassian sexual responses, the better for Garak's future hopes. He walked around the pair, hoping to discomfit Julian, but the man seemed to know exactly what he was up to and ignored the potential distraction. It was Garak who was having the problem with distraction. It was hard to observe technique when all he could see was the stretch of strong neck that cried out for teeth to be sunk in it. All Garak's energies were centered on not pulling Julian out of the girl's arms and into his. The obvious physical response was repressed before Garak retook his seat. Someday, he promised himself.

It was a good fifteen minutes before Julian pulled away, looking directly into Garak's eyes. This time it was Julian who asked, "Score out of 10?" The smile he gave Garak was smug when the racketball outfit glowed "7.1/10."

Not saying a word, Garak got up and walked over to the pair. Taking the girl in his arms, he kissed her for less than a minute. When he stepped back, he looked at Julian as he said, "Score out of 10." The girl's chest now glowed "9.3/10". Garak looked at her and shook his head again. "Out of practice," he said regretfully. "Program off. Erase."

The room became once again the empty holosuite. Julian turned on his heel and walked out. The man did hate losing, Garak thought, as he locked up the room and turned to retrace his way downstairs. Julian's love of a challenge was what Garak was counting on.

**************

It wasn't surprising but it was disappointing to Garak that Julian was studiously avoiding him. Their meals had come to a sudden stop, and the pleasant evenings spent arguing philosophy and literature were things of fond memory. That was fine with Garak. Julian needed time to adjust to the idea that his sexual skills could use some expert guidance. Guidance that Garak was determined would come from him. In the meantime, he kept his other special skills up-to-date by keeping a close computer eye on Julian's activities. He wasn't a trained spy for nothing. And Julian's activities were fascinating.

First, there was Julian's new preference in reading material. Over the last week he had either read or browsed:

* Sex for Dummies

* So You've Got Yourself a Girlfriend. What Do You Do Now?

* What Women Say They Want. What Women REALLY Want.

* Cardassian Facts and Fiction

* Orgasms: How to Give Them and How to Get Them

* Midnight Passion, and three other books by the same author.

But Julian's confidence was probably rising since his reading had recently expanded into:

* 434 Vulcan Sexual Positions, with explanations of the advantages and disadvantages of each

* The Art of Sexual Satisfaction for all Partners

* Unconventional Positions for the Avante-Garde Sexual Practioner

What had amused Garak the most were the small quizzes that Julian had started taking in the romance magazines. Who could have guessed that that academically superior medical professional actually preferred the missionary position with himself on top, and that his preferred sexual scent was lemon? This research, Garak hoped, could well come in handy in the not too distant future. He was pretty sure he could expand Julian's repertoire, but he decided it wouldn't hurt to pick up some lemon-scented cologne. Just to increase the odds. At a guess, Garak decided that Julian's love of food slid into his love of sex. That meant Garak should also look into the less common genital cleansing creams that matched Julian's preferred food groups. Though pudding, he decided, was out. Too sticky. Garak thought about that for a moment, and then added it to the list he was making. The trick was probably to make sure that it was thoroughly licked off.

And then there was Julian's change in diet. From the restaurant receipts Garak was seeing, as well as the history of Julian's replicator, Julian was trying a number of aphrodisiacs, including oysters. And Julian hated oysters. Garak added into his notes to make sure his own replicator had the specs for Alorean fruit pies. Julian would love them and the side effects were impressive, if the stories whispered around the virtual campfires were true. It was just the sort of food he'd carefully avoided over the last few years. No sense making his frustration worse than it was. But now... His mouth almost watered thinking about the dishes he loved that he'd been carefully avoiding.

Just as he turned away from the computer with the intention of getting some dinner - this research was making him hungry - Garak noticed that there was a new receipt being filed for Julian in Quark's. He waited a minute for Julian's companion's dishes to be recorded, but the file closed. Julian was eating alone for a change! Opportunity should definitely not be ignored. In an instant, Garak was out the door and on his way.

**************

"Julian! I didn't expect to see you here so late." Garak had managed to make it down in time to catch Julian in the middle of his meal. "Would you prefer I went to the replimat?" The question was safe, since there was no chance that Julian would have been so impolite as to send Garak away. After all, they hadn't had any type of conflict. Julian had just found the situation embarrassing. And Garak was correct in his instinct. Julian indicated the empty chair opposite and swallowed what he'd just put into his mouth. A flan that was reputed to put stiffening where most needed.

"If you're sure?" Garak said as he slid quickly into the seat, not giving Julian time to change his mind.

To the waiter who had just materialized by their table, Garak said, "Your Thursday special is Plaq Tor?" At the waiter's nod, Garak said, "A bowl, with a side of stewed plums." He turned back to Julian, avoiding the topic that had caused Julian's embarrassment and their estrangement. "So, how goes the medical business? People still getting sick, I imagine."

"We've been busy. One of the Bajoran visitors turned out to have a childhood illness they'd stopped vaccinating for, so suddenly our waiting room is filled with a steady stream of people needing prophylactic protection. It's not a bad illness, if you catch it early, but the rash is so itchy that little fingers are hard-pressed to keep from tearing little arms up. And it's been so long since there's been an epidemic that everyone is paranoid. Otherwise, I'm sure we would have gotten together." The good doctor was perfectly able to lie with the best of them when it was important but, in the normal give and take of daily interactions, his lies were always glaringly obvious. For example, he kept his attention centered now on his food and avoided meeting Garak's eyes for long.

"Of course," Garak agreed, moving his hands off the table so the waiter could put down the bowl. A spoonful said it was, indeed, the standard Thursday fare. Not exciting, but not completely dull. A faint hint of nuts with an overlay of loren pods. He gave the spoon an extra lick.

"And you?" Julian asked politely. "How goes the clothing business? Getting anything new in from your suppliers?"

"A very fine line of scarves. There's an old story of a scarf that could be pulled through a ring. These would definitely meet that description. Fine as silk, warm as cashmere, colors as subtle as Fatera Falcon feathers. If you're looking for a present for your mother or some other good friend, you should make a point of coming in before they're sold out."

"I'll be sure to do that. Mother's birthday is in three months and it would save me looking for something at the last minute."

There was an awkward silence following this somewhat stilted exchange that lasted through dessert for Garak and a raktajino for Julian. Getting up to leave was turning out to be just as awkward. As they bumped into one another, Garak gripped Julian's arm. "I've missed you," he said softly, and hurried away before Julian could say anything in response.

He made it as far as the door before Julian caught up with him.

"Garak! Wait!"

Garak's smug smile was gone by the time he turned around.

**************

As Garak and Julian sat cheering on the sculling team representing the Star Fleet engineering department against the Bajoran townies, Garak couldn't help feeling pleased with life. Not only was their friendship firmly re-established, but sex had become a completely acceptable topic between them. Patience, Garak mused, was so much easier a virtue to exhibit when there were these small victories to reinforce it.

A roar of cheering from the crowd on their riverbank interrupted his introspection. The red boat's crew had just managed to row past the blue boat. Garak had noted the exchange of something between Julian and Quark's brother when they'd first entered. Since Julian was standing up and yelling, it seemed that Julian, and perforce Garak, must be backing the red scull - engineering - over the blue - communications. He made it to his feet in time to join with the other red boat supporters before they all sat down again quickly as the blue boat regained - you probably didn't say ground when both boats were on water - the lead.

One of the good things about holosuite grass was that the stains didn't last after you left the suite. This landscape was the type of holosuite illusion Garak loved. Well beyond the river, the opposite bank rose to a wide plain that ended in steep mountains that almost seemed to touch the sky. Or ceiling, if one preferred to ignore illusion. Occasional trees landscaped the plain, and the gently moving leaves reinforced the sense that they had actually removed from the sterile station environment to a pleasant and peaceful planet. It would be worth the expense to develop some holosuite programs that reproduced his favorite memories of Cardassia. There was one place he remembered going with his father...

"Did you see Elnor calling the faster stroke? I really thought he had them there. They couldn't keep it up, of course, but if they'd taken the lead they might have been able to maintain it."

"Too bad," consoled Garak, memories dissolving as thoroughly as if a holosuite had been turned off. His bottom was getting a little sore. Even if the grass stains would disappear, the ache in his gluteus maximus wouldn't. "How much longer do they have to try to regain the lead?"

"About twenty minutes. Remember it's an endurance marathon. They've gone twenty minutes already, which is about two and a half miles at the speed they're going. If this were a standard race, it would be over already and they'd be racing much faster. " Julian jumped to his feet again. "There! Did you see that?"

Following Julian, Garak peered at the two boats but, to his inexperienced eyes, both seemed in the same relative position. They sat back down, Julian leaning forward in concentration, chin resting on arms that were crossed on his knees. Tempted to lay back in the grass, Garak stretched his back muscles instead and stayed in position to watch the boats. For something like this, there was a slight touch of unreality as the boats disappeared in the distance on the river to the right, and reappeared on the river to the left. The illusion was perfect for those on the boat, or when the action in the holosuite took place in a confined space. But for watching something stretching the limits of the holosuite, one got used to the occasional bursts of unreality.

A loud masculine groan off to the side caught Garak's casual attention. Since the young female sitting beside the older male was his recent customer, Mantay Livtor, and wearing her new dress, Garak assumed that the Engineering officer with the receding blonde hair was her father. Garak's nod and a slight wave caught Julian's attention and he looked over. Mantay and the doctor seemed to be outdoing each other as to who was more embarrassed. Which meant, Garak concluded, that Mantay had been given a full and complete description of Julian's amatory misadventures. Julian must have concluded the same because he looked back at the boats and didn't again make eye contact with the girl. That was something, at least. And it had made this interminable sporting event somewhat more amusing.

Twenty minutes, Garak thought. I can last twenty minutes. He half-closed his eyes and went back to deciding which Cardassian scenes deserved a version of immortality. And the time did speed by until his daydreaming was again broken, this time by the cries of disappointment and loud hurrahs. Apparently one of the two sculls had won. A glance at Julian's disappointed face said it hadn't been the red boat.

"Too bad," Garak said, standing up and stretching. "Lose much?"

"Think replimat for the next week."

"Think my quarters for a four course dinner, and you bring the liquid refreshment. Next Wednesday?"

"I'll look forward to it." They waited their turn in the crowd to make it to the holosuite door, the room still maintaining the appearance of a river bank on a soft, summer day. "As long as you're being so generous, Garak, would you consider reserving a holosuite and letting me retake your test? I've been thinking about the way the test scores kissing, and I think I understand what it was looking for. I'm not saying that that translates into real life kissing, or that my techniques need any improvement, but I would like to show that I can beat that test."

"I'm more than happy to let you practice on me, if you think that would help."

Julian laughed. "We'll save that for if I ever get that desperate. For now, let's just plan on watching those numbers go off the chart."

**************

Ignoring the Do Not Disturb sign on the holosuite door, Garak keyed it open and walked in. Instead of the sunny, summer day of the sex test, he found himself in a replica of the corridor outside Julian's apartment, on which hung a knocker in the shape of a Vulcan shelat. Trying the door, he discovered that it was, indeed, locked. Julian's computer skills were improving since he'd obviously modified the test. A few loud taps of the knocker and a voice responded, "Give me a minute, Garak."

It wasn't a bad replica of the hallway. Garak wandered down to the next door and tried the touchpad beside the door. The door immediately slid open, revealing another door on which was a sign, "Thought you'd found another way in, didn't you?" He was still laughing as he retraced his steps to the main, now-opened door. Julian, hair and clothing disarrayed and lips swollen, stood beside a large-breasted, naked Bajoran woman whose chest read, "8.6/10". Garak walked around them both and nodded approvingly. She did look a little like the shop assistant Julian had dated once a few months back. Long, black hair streamed down her back and her high heels brought her almost up to Julian's height. Imagining her in the shop uniform, Garak found the resemblance surprisingly good. Julian's computer skills were better than Garak had guessed.

"I think we have to say," Garak said, returning to the front, "that you have, indeed, aced the test. If you'll permit your friend to retire to her virtual memories, perhaps you'll join me for dinner downstairs and you can regale me with the story of your examination preparation."

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Julian said, wiping his mouth and wincing slightly. "Next." The young woman was instantly replaced by an equally naked Vulcan woman, with much the same features but perhaps a trace slimmer and more athletic. "My goal is 9.4 out of 10, though I have some confidence that I can do better than that. I'm just getting my second wind." Garak's mouth must have dropped open because Julian tapped under Garak's chin to close it. "I'll take a raincheck from you on dinner."

"9.4?" Garak stared for a moment, then laughed. Moving between Julian and the girl, he took the hologram into his arms and barely kissed her, as Julian pulled at his shoulder. Ignoring the distraction, Garak ran his fingers under the girl's hair and lightly stroked her ear tips, then moved his hands to hers and slid his fingers across hers until her breaths were coming at the recommended rate. Feet firmly planted, he resisted Julian's pull for another half minute, then allowed Julian to pull him away.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Julian asked angrily.

"I would have thought that was obvious," Garak replied. "Score out of 10." The girl's chest glowed with the numbers "9.8/10". "Resetting your test goal." Garak shook his head, saying as if to himself, "I really have to get more practice." Turning to Julian, Garak smiled. "If I can't bring back some dinner for you, would you like me to find some lip salve?"

**************

The instincts that had kept Garak alive against all expectations brought him suddenly awake. Slipping his hand underneath his pillow, Garak felt the weapon butt fill his hand, hard and reassuring. A glance through half closed eyelids showed no obvious threat in the dark room, so he slid soundlessly off the bed and crouched beside it. Nothing moved and no sound could be heard except the ambient room noise of the air circulating system. Taking a slow breath, Garak let his mind skim back to his first moment of awakening, searching his memories for what had brought him alert.

The corridor door opening and closing.

Raising his head carefully, Garak allowed his dark-adjusted eyes to skim the room. No one was there and the doorway was clear. Very slowly, Garak rose to his feet, pausing again to listen to noises in the room beyond. He froze as a soft snore broke the silence. The breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding passed over his lips. In quick steps he reached the doorway and, still cautious, scanned the living room. Julian. Collapsed on his sofa in the boneless posture of exhaustion or drunken stupor. A slight shiver was the only symptom of Garak's nervous system returning to normal. Or as normal as it was going to get with Julian asleep in front of him.

Slipping the weapon into a nearby drawer and going back to his room for a warm robe, Garak could feel his muscles still relaxing. For some reason, his quarters always felt colder in the night. He smoothed the velvety fabric into place and tied the belt loosely around his waist. Now to find out the reason for this unexpected night visit.

With a mug of steaming raktajino in hand, Garak waved it beneath Julian's nose, smiling as the man's nostrils twitched. A large yawn and a stretch, and Julian's eyes opened. He sniffed, sat up and took the mug from Garak, inhaling deeply before sipping it carefully. His eyes closed momentarily again.

"Julian!"

The eyes flew open and Garak helped steady the mug as Julian fought his way to wakefulness and gulped down more of the brew. Taking advantage of the space now available on the sofa, Garak settled himself into the corner and waited. Julian took another sip and leaned down to put the cup on the floor.

"9 out of 10." He yawned again. "I never want to kiss another woman in my life."

Garak tried to keep a serious face, but he couldn't. He broke out laughing.

"It's not funny," Julian said sternly, then started laughing, too. When he'd caught his breath he said, "I give up, Garak. You win. I need to learn how you did that."

Leaning forward, Garak pinned Julian's arms to the couch and showed him. There were a few moments of fight and then Julian relaxed and let Garak run his tongue gently over Julian's lips.

"I didn't mean that I wanted to kiss you," Julian murmured, letting the kiss continue.

The kisses were feather-light, both because Julian's lips were swollen from his previous endeavors and because it was Garak's preferred style. He could still taste the raktajino in Julian's open mouth, which was warm and silky and as deliciously wet as Garak had always imagined. Eyes closed to savor the pleasure, it was a full two minutes before Garak realized that the reason Julian was no longer fighting him was because the man had fallen fast asleep. One last breath of a kiss and Garak got up from the sofa and looked down at the sleeping man. "My vaunted reputation is completely ruined." Sighing, he pulled Julian's shoes off, took off the robe he was wearing and spread it over Julian.

Looking at the peaceful face made Garak shake his head. The man would not give up, a trait that Garak had to approve. What wouldn't he give to be the person to whom Julian would attach with such ferocity? A sigh was the answer he gave himself. Well, nothing wrong in taking a small memory with him before going to settle back into the softness of sleep. Leaning over so as not to touch anything but Julian's lips, Garak's kiss was gentle - a hummingbird or butterfly sipping at a long-desired nectar - letting the familiar odor of the man's breath become a new and exquisite taste of the mouth he'd so often watched with longing. A half snore brought Garak back and, with a small smile, he straightened the robe on Julian's chest and left him to sleep in peace until they could continue their interesting dialog in the morning.

**************

It took just an instant for Garak to remember his visitor when he awoke. He was out of bed almost as soon as he recollected just who it was out there on his sofa. But when he reached the doorway, he realized that the room was empty. It had actually never seemed quite so empty, even with its normal neatness broken by the folded robe lying in the sofa corner. Then he noticed that his computer was alive and a message displayed on the screen. His chest tightened and his breath caught. He let it out slowly and walked over to the screen to look down.

"Quark's place. Dinner."

A slow smile spread across Garak's face as he ran his fingers unconsciously over the words. He had no idea what was going to happen next, but it had been a very long time since that had been a good thing. Now the uncertainty glowed with possibilities. For once, Garak thought, he might just relax and enjoy it.

**************

Scanning the room, Garak finally saw Julian appear at the door closest to the Infirmary. Things must have gotten busy, as the man was fifteen minutes late. Julian threaded his way through a group clustered around the stage where Quark's new singer was performing, the look on Julian's face as he examined the girl a familiar one to Garak. The young lady was about to have a new admirer. With a backward glance over his shoulder and a grin when her eyes followed him, Julian turned back to look to see if Garak was still waiting somewhere in the bar. A slight movement of Garak's hand and Julian's path became direct to the corner table Garak had managed to save. Besides some privacy, it had the advantage of being far from the stage and quieter. Plus Garak had even thought to take the seat facing the stage for himself, so that Julian would have his back to the singer. If there was anything Garak knew, it was his Julian and Julian's taste in women.

"Sorry to be late. There was a message that came in from the Chief of Star Fleet Medical that required an immediate reply."

"Nothing serious, I hope."

"Only if you are concerned with our over-use of finger tourniquets. They've lost one of their major suppliers and are hoping we can be more economical with the stock we have left until they find a new source."

"I thought those were only in emergency medical kits. Isn't that a little primitive for a fully stocked Infirmary?

"If that's what we used it for, certainly. But if you've ever had a bag of kaldrops, you know how cheaply they make the packaging. So if you don't finish them in one sitting, you slap a finger tourniquet over the opening and they'll be as fresh when you finish them as when you opened them."

"If I ate kaldrops, I'd remember that."

"Well, memories - and stale bags of kaldrops - are all any of us are going to have left until Star Fleet gets its supply chain in gear." Julian looked around for a waiter, but most of the staff seemed to be concentrated near the stage - some doing makework, some just watching Quark's new attraction. Quark, himself, was in the first row, looking torn between pride at the crowd she was drawing in and, Garak guessed, calculating how to get her alone when she finished her set.

"Quark's not going to be happy when he realizes he's not the only one that's not getting anything done. She is good, isn't she?"

Anticipatory was the only word Garak could think of for Julian's smile as the man looked back over his shoulder. "Quite good. I heard she's on her way out toward Aldebaran and ran out of transport money. Just here long enough to replenish her purse." Seeing that Julian was about to get up to get a waiter, Garak leaned forward and held his arm for a moment. "I put our orders in before you got here. "

Julian settled back down and smiled. "The special, I presume."

"Actually, I thought we both might enjoy a Vulcan stew tonight. It's one of the dishes we both enjoy."

It was an instant before the light of understanding appeared in Julian's eyes. The smile broadened. "I wasn't actually thinking of a laboratory class, but good try. What I need is a summary of where I could use improvement, and some suggestions in those areas." He turned in his chair and glanced again at the singer who was just finishing a set. "Can't take all that long, and I was hoping you might even be able to give me pointers over dinner." From the look on Julian's face, dinner wasn't what he was thinking about eating. The singer looked over at their table and smiled at Julian, who returned it with a grin.

Tapping his spoon on his glass, Garak brought Julian's attention back. "I agree that it won't take all that long, but it will be a laboratory session. There's no way I can explain the basics to you without showing you."

"I'm not interested in the basics. I've got those down. I need the advanced class. " There must have been something in Garak's expression because Julian said hurriedly, "I'm not looking for Sex 101. Kissing 101 is all I want."

"With a 9 out of 10, you're good enough when you put your mind to it. Whatever improvement I can make in your style is going to be subtle. Therefore, logic, as our Vulcan friends would say, dictates that you demonstrate for me the way you approach the problem, so that I can, in turn, demonstrate appropriate ways you might want to modify your methodology." It was with an effort that Garak kept a straight face, but the scientific discussion actually seemed to be reassuring Julian, who was obviously considering Garak's suggestion. Garak sipped the drink he'd ordered earlier and waited.

"Alright," Julian said finally.

Garak turned a grin into a coughing fit, leading Julian to leap up to pound him on the back. Panting and shaking his head, Garak indicated Julian to sit down again. "Went down the wrong way." A few more scattered coughs and Garak moved his hands to his lap so the waiter could put down his dish, and then Julian's. He tasted a bite and nodded to his friend. "Soothes the throat."

They ate rapidly until Julian leaned back and asked, "So, when do you want to get together?"

"If you've taken the edge off your hunger, why not go up to my quarters? Think of it as a sporting event. You don't want to be off your game by over-indulging."

Putting down his spoon, his dish still a quarter uneaten, and patting his mouth with his napkin, Julian got up and threw the napkin on the table. "I'm never off my game. As you will soon learn. Lead on, professor. Your student plans a busy evening."

Since Julian's eyes had turned momentarily toward the singer, Garak was certain that he knew what Julian was planning to do with the instruction he was expecting to get. Well, what had Garak expected? But the path out of the bar that Garak chose led the two of them past the table where the woman was resting between sets. Just as they passed not far behind her chair, Garak asked Julian in a voice quiet enough that it wouldn't reach beyond the nearby table, "I'm looking forward to discovering if your kissing skills are as good as you say. Remind me to tell you in the morning."

They were well past the table when Julian responded, "Ten minutes. That's all this should take, Garak. But feel free to enjoy the memory come morning, as you're going to wake up quite alone." Leaning over to put an arm around Julian's shoulder, Garak took a quick glance back at a very disappointed young woman. The smile he gave Julian as he squeezed the man's shoulder was very real and completely self-satisfied.

**************

Garak could feel Julian's tensions increasing as they approached Garak's quarters, so he was matter-of-fact in his tone as he headed for the bathroom, throwing back over his shoulder, "Could you get us some drinks and put on some teaching music?" He took his time and, when he came out, discovered Julian had relaxed enough to have settled on the sofa with his drink and was looking over Garak's new holobook from Earth's Classic Revival Period. A tome guaranteed to relax him into total stupor. "Do you need a PADD to take notes from my lecture?"

Looking up and putting down the book, Julian leaned back and took another sip of the clear liquid that was probably the Russian Vodka he'd been recently ordering. The replicator's version was just not up to Quark's. "I thought we were doing lab, not lecture."

"Lecture first means a shorter lab. You should appreciate that. Gives you time to find someone to practice on later this evening."

A grin clearly showed that that had been Julian's intention. "Lecture away, Professor Garak. This should be fascinating."

Garak settled down in the corner of the sofa, picked up the glass of brandy that Julian had ordered from the replicator for him and sipped it slowly. What a shame that he could never talk Quark out of his brandy recipe. The cheaper home one was just never as smooth. He leaned back against the pillow.

"We'll agree that kissing has different purposes in different situations." Garak ignored Julian's smirk and continued. "If your partner is as anxious as you are, then the purpose is simply foreplay to excite you both and make the eventual ending better."

"You really can skip the basics," Julian said, grinning.

Dismissing Julian's interruption, Garak went on, "But in many situations, what is actually happening is that both partners are essentially auditioning for whether the kissing should lead to anything further or not." That got Julian's attention. "So what you're doing when you kiss your partner is convincing them that it's worthwhile to let you continue the …" Garak paused and searched for the right words. "… evening's activity."

"You can do it in the morning, too, you know."

"So I've heard." Swirling the brown liquor around in the glass, Garak pressed on. "So it's my guess that you've been taking your partner's participation a bit too casually, and what you need to do is seduce them as you kiss them. Make going on with the next stage irresistible."

"Are you saying slow down?" Julian asked seriously.

"No. I'm saying use your skills as a doctor who is expert in the physionomy of all species to demonstrate to your partner just how good it's going to be so that they are the ones pushing you to continue." Julian's mouth opened to defend his technique but Garak went on before he could. "For example, the Vulcan girl in the test. I know you know about the fingers. That's become popular knowledge so of course a doctor is going to know that level of sexuality. But the ears. Did you know they're as sensitive as a Ferengi's?"

"Really?" From the expression on Julian's face, Garak assumed he was running through the Vulcan females he knew for potential future experiments. "As sensitive as a Ferengi?"

"So what this lab session is going to be, is your opportunity to seduce me."

It was a moment before Julian's shocked look changed into hysterical laughter.

"I'm not going to make it easy for you," Garak assured him. This only made the peals of laughter louder. "Look, my dearest Doctor, you're only going to attempt to convince me to have sex with you. We're not going to actually do it."

"Truer words..." Julian got out, breathless from laughing so hard.

"You need to kiss me as if the station will self-destruct if you can't get me into your bed. I, being tempted, will allow you to try. Stop it, Julian! I'm serious."

"I know!" came through the guffaws.

Sitting up and leaning forward, Garak grabbed Julian by the shoulders and kissed him hard. In the first shock, Julian tried to pull back, but Garak was surprisingly strong. As Julian stopped fighting, Garak lightened the contact. "Close your eyes. This is hard enough to do with your confounded giggles."

"You're supposed to be the expert. Surely you can cope with the challenge."

Wrong thing to say. Garak immediately maneuvered them so that he had one hand on a pressure point of the doctor's, and Julian precariously stretched out on the sofa beneath him, locked in place by a leg. Julian's next mistake was to open his mouth. Before he could tell Garak to get off him, Garak had his tongue deep in Julian's mouth. Feeling the mouth muscles about to close, Garak dug a finger deep into the pressure point, even as he pulled his tongue out to a safe distance. They looked at one another, both panting.

"I'm not raping you. I'm demonstrating how you can improve. Tell me to stop and we will. Whether we continue is completely up to you. Now which is it to be?"

It was a full half minute before Julian relaxed and Garak moved until he no longer had physical control over the man. In a moment, Julian had them flipped. "Seduce you?"

Garak looked up into the face just above his own and smiled. "Seduce me. Oh, and for your information, Cardassians are particularly sensitive on our facial ridges, as you seem to have known. But you might not know that the lighter the touch, the more responsive I'll be."

"Like this?" Julian's hand began to trace the teardrop-shaped center ridge of Garak's forehead, his hand barely grazing the surface. Garak's eyes closed and his breath came faster.

"Exactly like that." The stroking continued and then Garak felt a light touch on his lips. He let his lips open and a tongue slid in. At first it moved in and out in the universal rhythm, but quickly it began to explore Garak's mouth. Without opening his eyes, Garak got out around the intruding tongue, "Medical examination some other time. Seduction now, if you please." The tongue returned to the previous motion. Garak sucked on it and then forced it out of his mouth, bending his torso upward to give Julian a kiss of apology. "I need more variety. As you may have noticed," Garak pressed his groin up against Julian's. "We both are already sufficiently engorged for sex to take place between us, but what you're supposed to be trying to do is make me want to have sex with you."

"Would you like to demonstrate?"

Flipping them over again, Garak replied, "I thought you'd never ask." He began a very gentle bumping of groins while he leaned down and kissed lips and eyes and put his tongue deep into Julian's ear. "Every race has a natural rhythm for sex," he lectured, his voice breathy and interrupted by frequent forays deeper into the ear and around the shell. "This is the ideal human one." Coming back to Julian's mouth, Garak put some effort into replicating the movement of their groins with his tongue. Suddenly the rhythm completely changed. "This is a natural Cardassian rhythm. Faster, you'll notice. For a Vulcan..." At Garak's new demonstration, Julian's panting eased and his attention seemed riveted on what Garak was saying, so Garak shifted back into the human rhythm, and began licking Julian's neck. The flush of skin and the increased breathing showing that he had the right rate going.

"That's not part of any medical text that I've read. Where did you learn that?"

Garak shifted his attention to Julian's lips and let his fingers find the nipples beneath Julian's uniform top. "If you want information out of someone, it's easiest to get what you need while they're focused on something other than what you're asking about. Since one's targets differ..." A shift to the still dry ear shifted Garak's target, as well. "...the way you'll distract them will differ, too, so it's good to have a general knowledge of sexual sensitivity." A slight bite on Julian's neck and the man's hips jerked upwards to ram against Garak's.

Pulling back, Garak asked, "Are you ready to try on me?"

The flip was accomplished with minimal movement and, once Julian had them repositioned on the sofa from the floor onto which they'd fallen, he quipped,"Control transferred," and got down to business with a busy tongue and teeth, and the faster rhythm Garak had previously demonstrated.

"Fast learner," Garak gasped some time later as he realized that their lesson was about to go off with a very large boom. He grabbed Julian's shoulders and held him still, panting out, "Give me a minute or the game will be over too soon."

"Getting to you, am I?" Julian replied rather smugly, digging in his hips with a last wicked wiggle.

In the quiet, Garak realized that the music Julian had chosen was starting to repeat. Half an hour. Definitely out of practice and breath. He should have been able to go for hours without needing a breather. Apparently Julian thought so too because Garak felt his wrist gripped and knew Julian was taking his pulse. Well, that was another 30 second breather, so he didn't complain. As Julian's face lost its worried look, Garak felt his heart beat slowing. Answering Julian's unasked question with yet another flip, Garak pinned Julian's shoulders and kissed him until both their erections were back and grinding together, then he pulled back once again to lecture.

"Changing pace is a good thing." He suddenly moved his fingers to Julian's waist and began a gentle tickling. Resisting Julian's attempts to stop him, he added, "So are surprises. Give it a minute." It took some effort on Julian's part, but he put his hands on Garak's shoulders and rode out the tickling, his face showing when the sensations changed from unbearable to tolerate, to unbearable to stop. But stop Garak did, diving to get his teeth into the side of Julian's neck. That generated another flip, with Julian now controlling their encounter.

"If we were doing this for real, this is where I'd stop the foreplay and get down to serious action," Julian said. Something flipped inside Garak's groin and he couldn't stop himself from crying out softly. Sweat forming on his face, Julian continued humping as Garak twisted his head left and right, eyes closed and the feeling growing. "I'm close," Julian gasped out.

With a heave, Garak rolled them over again and rubbed their groins together in a steady rhythm waiting for his climax to come over him. "There's a theory, you know, that it's possible to build up a series of orgasms, each one stronger than the last." The words were barely intelligible through his gasps for breath. He and Julian weren't even bothering to try to kiss now. They were just dry-humping their way to the inevitable end.

One last flip and Julian, with more stamina than the seriously flagging Garak, sped up their pace until...

His beeper sounded.

They froze in place, and then Julian collapsed on top of Garak. With an effort, he slapped the communicator and got out an almost controlled "Bashir." Garak kept still while reviewing what curses he knew in at least eight languages.

"Doctor, we've got a woman here with a severe cut on her hand. There was a fight at Quark's and she got hit by a broken bottle someone threw. Lesty found a finger tourniquet in the back of her drawer, but we really need you. Sorry to bother you so late."

Julian met Garak's eyes and shook his head. "No problem, nurse. I'll be there right away. " Slapping his tunic again, Julian looked down at Garak regretfully. "I guess we were saved before this laboratory lesson went farther than we'd intended."

"Another five minutes wouldn't have upset the balance in the universe, would it?" Garak asked plaintively.

A quick kiss was Julian's answer, as he leveraged himself off Garak and started straightening his uniform. Readjusting his position on the suddenly large and empty area of the sofa, Garak watched as Julian checked that he had everything he'd come with. "You could come back and finish what we started," Garak suggested.

Julian shook his head. "I didn't expect to get as caught up with you as I did. You finish up for both of us." For the first time that evening, Julian reached out a hand to Garak's groin and stroked down the organ pushing up obviously through Garak's pants. Garak let his eyes close and gave himself up to the feelings so long gone from his life. Then the stroking stopped, he could hear the door open and close, and he was alone with the music. Again.

*********

It took longer than usual for Garak to fight his way out of the mists of sleep and realize that his communicator was buzzing. But it was way across the room. Snuggling deeper into his pillow, Garak called "Computer. Accept call."

"Garak! Thank goodness you're there."

At the sound of Julian's voice, Garak was wide awake and sitting up in bed. "Of course, I'm here. Where else would I be before a workday? What's wrong?"

"That woman with the cut finger? It was the singer at Quark's. Her name is Darlj. After I fixed her up, I got her to go out for a drink with me. For some reason, she thought you and I were lovers." Julian's laugh over the communicator was more than annoying to Garak, who thought he knew what was coming next. He added a dutiful laugh to his end of the conversation. "Anyway, we came up to my quarters and one thing led to another..."

"Of course," Garak said, certain now.

"Well, she's from Aldebaran. And since I seem to be running into the same sort of problems I was having before, I thought that you might give me some suggestions. You know, Aldebaran physiology and such. I'm in the bathroom and I can't stay here much longer."

Oh, the temptation. But, for once, cheating didn't seem to be an integral part of the game he was playing with the doctor. "There's a vein that runs along the inside of the thigh."

"I saw it."

"Also, keep your voice low. Aldebaranians have extremely sensitive hearing and loud voices are a turn-off. Humming. They respond to vibrations. The closer she gets, the lower-pitched the sound."

"Vein, soft, hum. Got it. Thanks, Garak. I owe you."

The ambient noise disappeared with the broken connection and all there was was the sound of the air circulating through the dark room. Garak sighed and lay back down. It was difficult to keep the images the conversation had created out of his mind. "Computer. Replay video on the bedroom ceiling."

Immediately the surveillance video appeared above him. Settling himself more comfortably against the pillow, Garak watched as his and Julian's wrestling match began. In a few minutes the competing images of Julian and his new friend were forgotten. Garak raised his nightrobe and began again the old and familiar exercises, imagining a smoother hand underneath his own as he taught the dream Julian how to satisfy the real Garak. He came before the video reached the communicator point, letting himself imagine coming deep in Julian's ass. As all the other orgasms he'd had already this past night, it was deeply satisfying and pleasurable, but almost unbearably lonely. "Computer. Video off." The room went dark, and Garak let himself fall back to sleep, hand still gripping himself as if he weren't alone in the solitary bed.

*********

It had been a long day and Garak felt his legs ache from being on them all day as he pushed the button closing the shop gates. An unexpected hand on his shoulder brought him quickly around to find Julian, hands up at Garak's reaction. "Sorry, Garak. Didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd still be with your new friend."

"I saw her off for Aldebaran an hour ago. Seems that she won big at one of Quark's games just as the fight was getting started." Julian shook his head in admiration. "Even after she got cut with the bottle, she had enough presence of mind to scoop up her winnings. Quark, as you might imagine, is desolate. He lost his star attraction and a small fortune all in one evening."

"You must be disappointed," Garak noted with an attempt at sympathy, as Julian led them toward the busy part of the Promenade where most of the shops had already closed and the evening restaurants were gathering the crowds. "Where are we going?"

"I owe you a dinner, so I thought we'd finally try that new Bajoran restaurant,. I made a reservation, hoping you'd be available, then I got so busy I was sure you'd be gone."

"I had three customers who didn't want to leave until they had tried on every suit in the shop."

"Sell anything?"

Garak's smile was broad. "Oh, yes. There's a Bajoran celebration tomorrow night and everyone is desperate for something unique. Since most of what I create are single designs, they come to me. Full price one and all." There was satisfaction in his voice.

A line had already formed at the restaurant, but Julian's reservation cleared the way for them to a small table in the back with a bench seat that let them sit side by side. To give the illusion of evening, the lights were dim and the tables lit with artificial candles. At least, Garak thought, they were bright enough to see the silverware and wondered what low lighting said about the food they would be served. Glancing around he checked the surrounding tables for inspiration. A couple at one were staring at each other and completely ignoring a baked dish that seemed to be leaking a green liquid. A slightly older couple were ignoring each other and concentrating on their PADDs. There wasn't much left on either dish to say what it was, other than the fact that it had been blue. Closer to the door a man completely engrossed in a holobook sat alone eating his way through a pudding that seemed richly filled with something Garak couldn't exactly see. The handwritten menu on the wall identified the pudding as the day's special, so Garak settled back on the bench and shook out his napkin, then put it on his lap in preparation. He noticed that his hunger was reviving in the presence of so many delicious smells.

"Hiding anything interesting?" Julian asked, looking down at the napkin.

Lifting the napkin to look, as if confused by what Julian might mean, Garak shook his head. "Not that I can see."

The waitress, a young Bajoran woman, her hair in a sanitary coil of which Garak approved, arrived at their table before they could continue the sexual repartee, to Garak's disappointment.

"Are you ready to order?"

Garak looked at Julian, indicating he should go first.

"Plythian pancakes with the sauce on the side. And a salad with house dressing to start."

The woman turned to Garak, her recorder at the ready. "The special, but I'll have the plomeek soup for starters."

"Any drinks?"

The two looked at one another, then Julian looked at the waitress. "A light wine. Nothing too expensive."

Putting away her PADD, the waitress left. There was a moment of awkwardness, as they both were obviously remembering their activities of the night before. Garak broke the awkwardness with a casual question. "So what about your date? You're not going to leave me in suspense about how our lab session helped, are you?"

Julian grinned and played with his spoon. "I was superb. She almost didn't want to get on the shuttle. Said it was the best sex she'd ever had. Best, mind you!" The smile became reminiscent. "And were you right about that vein and the humming!" He looked up at Garak. "Where did you ever learn about the humming?"

It was Garak's turn to look a little nostalgic. "I was 18. She was 42. By the time she finished with me, I was an expert on the subject." The softness vanished. "And then she ran off with my weapons instructor. They had six children, last I heard." He brightened into a smile that he hoped didn't look artificial. "I'm only glad I was able to help." Garak looked closer at Julian, who was keeping busy rearranging the tableware. "But you don't look as pleased as I thought you would. You should be ecstatic."

Pausing to consider that, Julian finally nodded. "It wasn't as good as I thought it would be." Trying to explain, he continued, "I was good." He looked over at Garak. "Your advice helped a lot. I've probably never satisfied a woman the way I did last night. But..." The silence lengthened.

"But the planet didn't move for you."

Julian smiled in relief. "Exactly!"

"When you think about it, it makes sense. The better you are at something, the more you need someone at your own level." Garak tried an analogy. "Think of playing tennis. It's a whole different experience depending on the skill level of your opponent. I believe that if you were in love with your bed partner, then a difference in skills wouldn't matter. Giving them pleasure would be all that it would take to satisfy you at such a deep level, the inequality wouldn't matter at all." Julian nodded, as if that made perfect sense. "But in these casual encounters, you'd like someone who could do for you what you do for them."

"You've had that same experience," Julian said with certainty.

"Of course."

He would have said more but the conversation paused as their appetizers and drinks arrived, the silence continuing as they took the edge off their hunger. After finishing half the soup, Garak leaned back. "Excellent. We should put this place into our restaurant rotation."

A query from their server and their dishes were taken away and replaced with the main courses, and both were quiet again as they concentrated on their food, Garak pushing away his unfinished plate and leaning back in satisfaction. Smiling in acquiescence at Julian's gesture toward his plate, Garak watched as Julian switched plates and quickly finished off Garak's pudding.

"I meant to ask you," Julian said, as if just recalling the question, "what did you mean about the multiple orgasms. You seemed to be implying something different than just continuing an evening's entertainment a few more times.

Garak folded his napkin and put it neatly beside his plate. "It's actually quite fascinating. Some time ago I came across an old Canopian reference to a theory on improving orgasms. I spent quite some time trying to find out more but found very little. It's a six stage process, with each stage resulting in an increasingly intense orgasm. You use somewhat different stimuli at each stage, but they need to be precisely applied and they take more stamina than you usually expend during sexual encounters. In fact, it takes such incredible strength and skill to work your way through the early stages that none of the researchers I studied stayed with it long enough to find out whether the theory was based on real experiences. But if you could, the original source calls out the final orgasm as something to be remembered for the rest of your life.." He thought for a minute. "Of course, since there's almost no information about that 6th stage, it's always possible that the partners didn't live very long after that last one."

"Not everyone is in shape for a marathon sex session. You wouldn't believe the number of people that end up in my Infirmary for sex injuries. And I'm not counting Klingons!"

The curious glances from the surrounding tables quieted the laughter at their own. Julian stared at the ceiling for a minute, then said with some excitement, "They didn't have the computer support that we have today. The trick is probably bio-feedback. I have a medical instrument that would be simple to adjust to measure orgasmic level. And while the sex is on-going, it can also monitor heart health." As an aside he added, "That's usually what goes first. You've tried the technique?"

"Level 3. Then my partner got up and limped out. I don't think I ever saw him again," Garak said, trying to think back so many years. "Oh, but those first 3! Best sex ever!" He kissed his fingertips, which brought the waitress over with a smile and suggestion of after dinner drinks, as she cleared away their dishes. "Two raktajinos," Garak told her after looking at Julian for confirmation.

"You didn't try again?" Julian asked when she'd left.

Garak shook his head and lowered his voice to frustrate the rather obvious eavesdroppers. "You need a partner who can hold their own in bed. The stimuli required are very subtle. And they need to be kept within a very small range that most people can't manage."

"What you do is adjust the bio-feedback device so that it acts as a monitor. It can let you know when you're drifting near the border of the acceptable stimulation range. It's not difficult, Garak. You just need to plan it all out carefully and, I assume, be in the best physical condition before you start."

"I gave up the quest for the ultimate orgasm years ago, my dearest Doctor. Our little session last night was the first time I've shared a bed, if you'll call it that, with someone for over six years. I'm out of practice and I'm probably even out of condition," Garak admitted.

Julian turned on the bench to look Garak up and down. "Admittedly, you're getting a little flabby. Too many puddings and you'll turn into one. But, Garak, we could probably put you into condition in, say, two months."

"And where am I supposed to find the expert partner to share this daring quest?"

"There is that," Julian admitted.

For the next few minutes they sat in uncomfortable silence, as the nearby diners returned reluctantly to their own meals. While Garak watched the people entering and leaving the restaurant, Julian picked up the candle arrangement, turning it over and around to see how it worked. Since there was nothing interesting about its manufacture, he eventually put it down.

"The waitress should have been back by now," Julian observed.

"Are you in a hurry?"

"No. But we could see what's still open on the Promenade." He picked up the light again. "Or we could stop in to Quark's."

"We could."

The waitress seemed to be busy with a problem order across the way. Julian glanced at Garak and then back at the light he was turning on and off. "We actually were rather good together last night," he said.

Trying not to react too obviously, Garak nodded. "You read my reactions as if they were written on my forehead."

"I did, didn't I?" Julian said, his expression as close to a smirk as one could come. He glanced over again. "I assume you took care of matters. That was an awkward state to leave you in. Couldn't be helped."

"I understood. And, yes, the matter was handled adequately." They both smiled at the double entrendre. Garak took the light from Julian and started turning it on and off himself. "It's just..."

"Yes," Julian encouraged.

Garak put the light down and looked directly at Julian. "We were so close to something so intense."

Nodding, Julian admitted, "I was cursing that call all the way down to the Infirmary."

"I'll put my vocabulary up against yours whenever you say."

"A cursing contest!" Julian laughed with delight. "Remind me to record it for posterity."

The waitress, the problem table now straightened out, indicated that she'd be right with them.

When Garak looked over at Julian again, he had grown quiet. It was a minute before he looked up. "Two days ago I was worried about losing my edge. Today I'm wondering if I'll ever enjoy sex the way I almost did last night."

"I wouldn't worry, Julian. With the number of women who pass through your bedroom, you'll find one who'll be your match. Training your partner is half the enjoyment of the experience."

"But I'll always be wondering what it is I don't know that you never got around to teaching me."

"Are you suggesting that we continue the laboratory classes?"

"I might be. It's very tempting." They both watched as the waitress paused with their drinks to lean over a table and nod her head, indicating that she had to deliver what she was carrying and then would be right back.

"Garak, those six orgasms. Were those in a single session or over some days?"

"One session that continues as long as necessary. There's only a few episodes that have been written about, and none of those went less than fifteen hours. Those three I managed? Seven hours without a break. And it just gets more complicated."

"But those three were good?"

"Those three were incredible. I can't even start to describe to you the third one. It lasted for minutes - made me feel as though my entire body were caught in a nova. I was on fire! Never before or since have I felt anything so sexually intense."

"I wouldn't mind turning nova," Julian said, in a considering tone. "I think I might actually like it. You know, Garak, between us we have the skills and the technical knowhow to try out your ultimate orgasm game."

Shifting in his seat so as to ignore the surrounding listeners who had started to lean toward them so as to to hear more clearly, Garak said softly, "You're saying you want us to attempt the Canopian Sex Series."

"No, I'm saying I want us to achieve the 6th level of the Canopian Sex Series."

Opening his mouth and then closing it again, Garak stared at Julian.

"We could connect a camera to the bio-feedback device so that when we started losing it, we could see what we'd been doing." Julian looked suddenly concerned. "You wouldn't be embarrassed to be recorded in a sex act, would you? It would be strictly for scientific purposes."

Garak just shook his head.

"You've currently got better skills, but I'm in better condition. Two months. We'd be equally matched."

Luckily, the raktajinos arrived, giving Garak time to gather his badly scattered wits as the waitress put down the small desserts the restaurant was giving out as free meal enders. She then left to service the gentleman who had eaten alone and was now precariously perched on his chair straining to hear their conversation.

"I honestly don't know what to say," Garak got out finally, pitching his voice as low as possible. "You've known I wanted to have you since the first day we met. Last night? Well, let's say I saw an opportunity and didn't object to getting part of what I've wanted. But you're asking for something you don't really understand. And the last thing I want to do is to destroy our friendship. Surprisingly, that seems to be more important to me than sex." Garak shook his head in disbelief at what he was saying.

"There's no reason why it should. We're both big boys. We're both experienced."

Leaning close, Garak argued, "You're experienced with women and I've seen breakups wreck your relationships often enough to not want that to happen with us. I'm pretty sure we can have a casual few nights together. In fact, I'm confident that you're going to be up for more laboratories until you feel you've learned everything from me that you think you can learn. And that's all right. I know why you'd come to me, and I know why you'll go. But, in the end, they'll still be dinners and arguments and the occasional sharing we've both enjoyed."

"So what's making you hesitate?" Julian asked urgently. "From what you're saying, this would be ideal for both of us."

"Julian! You don't know what you're asking to get into!"

"Your ass?"

Julian's grin was contagious. Garak put his head down and his shoulders were shaking. With a long breath, he looked up and straightened, turning deadly serious again. "Yes. But you might not realize that I would also be in yours."

There was a momentary change in Julian's expression that Garak knew meant Julian hadn't been thinking in that level of detail. The look was gone in an instant, replaced by determination. Garak interrupted before Julian could speak. "No, Julian! I lost a good friend trying that trick. I won't lose you. We'll have as many labs as you want. I'll teach you everything you want to learn. But don't make the reason we'd be together become something that could force us apart."

By this time, the sound of tableware and clicking dishes had completely ceased in their immediate vicinity. It was as if a play had reached its dramatic climax on opening day and no one knew what would happen next. The only sounds seemed to be far away, except for a ridiculously cheerful piece of music that had just replaced the long Vulcan symphany that had been easily ignored.

"You're not thinking clearly about this, Garak," Julian insisted. "I'm not some kid whose only interest is in getting off." He paused as he heard what he'd just said. "Well, I am interested in that, of course." Leaning closer he continued, "I see this as a win/win situation for both of us. We both enjoy sex and you're going to expand my horizons while expanding my ass. I accept that."

Both were concentrated so fully on one another that the surrounding gasps went unheard.

"You forget that I'm competitive by nature. And I've never been known as a sore loser." Garak's expression must have slipped because Julian added dismissively, "There are creams for that that you probably don't know about. Trust me, I'm a doctor."

A low chorus of nearby giggles was almost drowned out by a sparkly passage of flutes. Garak's laughter exploded.

Julian's smile broadened. "You try to climb a mountain. You prepare yourself as best you can physically and mentally. If you make it, it's the best. But if you don't, you don't curse the mountain or your equipment or your preparation or your fate. You just pull it together and know that you'll make it the next time." The intensity in his voice matched the tenseness in his posture. "I like having a goal. And this one is a lot more interesting than whether I can get someone into bed for a one night stand. I have to assume we'll succeed because you lose before you start if you assume anything else."

Neither noticed the heads that unconsciously nodded around them.

"That's the win part for me. As for you, you'll feel better than you have in years to get back into condition, and you told me yourself that you've been celibate for too long." A thought must have occurred to him because Julian sat up straight. "You aren't in love with me, are you?"

The lie came out of Garak without a second thought. "Of course not."

Julian relaxed. "Then there's your win. I can't see why you're even hesitating. We'll be great together. Here." Slipping his hand under the tablecloth, Julian grabbed Garak's hand and put it over his groin. In an instant the softness Garak felt was replaced with an engorged organ which Julian guided Garak to stroke. "I'll be fine with this, you'll see." Slowly Julian's eyes closed. "I'll be great with it."

Trying to look as if nothing untoward was happening, Garak sipped his drink and shook his head at the waitress, indicating they didn't need anything else just then. He sincerely hoped that the tablecloth was hiding their indiscretion and that his movements were too subtle to notice. A soft sound startled him and he looked quickly at his friend. "You're humming, Julian!"

"Let's get out of here and I'll make you hum." Looking down, Julian added, "Just as soon as you stop that and I become respectable again." A slight motion of Garak's fingers and the erection disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "How did you do that?" Julian asked in shock.

"Show you later. Your check, I assume?" Garak asked, sliding out of the booth and motioning the waitress over.

"This makes us even for last night's advice," Julian agreed. "Now, about what we were discussing... I'm thinking that I could make a quick and dirty adjustment to my medical tricorder that would record peaks of..." He glanced around at the people watching with some disappointment as they prepared to leave. "...stimuli." He dropped his voice discretely again. "The question is who gets the points for the higher reading, the one being stimulated or the one doing the stimulating."

"Doing," Garak responded instantly.

"You're on," Julian agreed. "Two out of three for dinner tomorrow night."

"Four out of five for dinner at the new restaurant on the lower Promenade. With wine," he added.

"Done." And Julian reached out a hand for Garak to shake. "And my quarters now." He dropped his voice again. "I've got the bigger bed and you need a new sofa, Garak."

Acknowledging that with a shrug of his shoulders, Garak indicated Julian should lead the way out. They had almost reached the door when the sound of applause was heard from the back of the room. Looking back and then at one another in confusion, Julian said, "Probably a birthday celebration." His expression brightening, he added, "Mine is in a month if you want to think of some special way for us to celebrate."

"We could always attempt Stage 2," Garak suggested, brightening at the thought. "Think of it as aiming at reaching the mountain base camp."

"Base camp nothing. Stage 3 and we'll do it in a mountain portaledge on the holodeck, assuming heights don't make you sick." Julian unconsciously wrapped an arm around Garak's shoulders and leaned close. "That way you won't worry about my walking out on you."

Laughing in perfect harmony, they disappeared toward the turbolift, never hearing the buzz of excitement that had started up in the back of the restaurant behind them. The audience might never know the results of the competition, but it wouldn't really matter. The competitors would.

**************


End file.
